Eric Yaverbaum can still remember the pale look on his client’s face.
It was 1994, and Yaverbaum was handling public relations for Ikea. The Swedish home-furnishings giant had expanded to the United States a decade earlier. Feeling confident it had a good read on the American public, the company decided to roll out an ad called “Dining Room Table.” The 30-second spot featured two middle-aged men (“We’ve been together about three years,” said one) shopping for a dining set.
It
